Theodore peters



T. PETERS.

PUMP.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 20' 1919. v

PatentedSept. 21, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THEODORE PETERS, OF FERDINAND, INDIANA, AS-SIGNOR TO THE PET-SON PUMP COM- PANY, OF FERDINAND, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

PUMP.

Application filed October 20; 1919.

T 0 all 20 7mm it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE PETERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at'Ferdinand, Indiana, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Pumps, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to pumps of the general type described in my prior U. S. Patent No. 1,077,997, dated November 11, 1913, namely, pumps of the kind in which the rise and fall of a bouyant actuating device in a cylinder causes the liquid being pumped to be admitted to said cylinder and thereafter discharged from the cylinder.

The main object of my present invention is to provide a pump of the general type referred to, which is of simple construction and such design that there is no liability of the valve actuating mechanism sticking or coming to rest with the valves in an improper position. To this end I have devised a pump in which the buoyant actuating device in the cylinder is directly connected with a valve actuating mechanism comprising a spring which is so arranged that energy will be stored up in same by the movement of the buoyant actuating device and said spring then allowed to act so as to impart a quick or sudden stroke to the valve operating member, thereby insuring the valves moving positively into their open and closed positions without danger of sticking or coming to rest in an inoperative position. In the preferred form of my invention, as herein illustrated, the buoyant actuating device in the cylinder of the pump acts directly upon an oscillating member equipped with valves for controlling the admission of air or any other suitable operating medium to and from the cylinder of the pump, and the spring previously referred to, which is first placed under tension or compression, depending upon the kind of spring used, and then allowed to act, is combined with a pair of levers that are directly connected by means of toggle links with the buoyant actuating device. I wish it to be understood, however, that my present invention is not limited to a valve actuating mechanism of the particular form herein illustrated, as said mechanism is only one of many forms of my invention.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a side eleva- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 21, 1920.

Serial No. 331,789.

tional view of a single cylinder water pump p'onstructed in accordance with my invenion.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View of said pump.

F ig. 3 is a top plan view of said pump.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the plate forming the rear side of the chamber at the upper end of the cylinder in which the valves and valve operating mechanism are arranged; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the lower portion of the cylinder, taken at an angle to Fig. 2, so as to show the discharge pipe leading from the lower end of the cylinder.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate the preferred form of my invention. A designates the cylinder of my improved pump, B designates the valve that controls the port in the bottom 1 of the cylinder through which the water is admitted to said cylinder, C designates the pipe through which the water is discharged from the cylinder A, D designates a pipe for supplying compressed air or some other suitable medium under pressure to a chamber E arranged at the upper end of the cylinder A and in direct communication with same through an opening 2 in the top of said cylinder, and F designates an exhaust pipe leading from the chamber E. The water inlet valve B at the lower end of the cylinder A is preferably of the gravity type and is provided with a stem 3 that projects downwardly through avalve cage 4 which is screwed into the bottom 1 of the cylinder A, said valve stem being provided with a stop 3 that limits the opening move ment of said valve. The chamber E at the upper end of the cylinder of the pump is preferably formed from two segmental shaped members 5 joined together by screws 6, a flat plate 7 that forms the rear wall of said chamber and a top plate 8 that is secured to the segmental shaped members 5 and to the back plate 7 by screws or other fastening devices 9. preferably provided with internally screw threaded bosses 7- (shown in Fig. l) into which the air supply pipe D and exhaust pipe F are screwed, and said plate is also provided with a rib 7 in which a ductis formed leading from the air supply pipe I) to a lug 10 on the inner side of the plate 7.

provided with an air supply port (not The back plate 7 is shown) and with a raised valve seat 10 for the valve that governs the admission of the compressed air to the chamber E. A lug 11 that is arranged on the inner side of the plate 7 in proximity to the exhaust pipe F is provided with an air discharge port (not shown) and a raised valve seat 11 shown in dotted lines in Fig. dthatcoeperates with the valve which governs the discharge of the 'air from the chamber E. The members previously referred to that constitute the chamber E are connected by screws or other suitable fastening devices to the top of the cylinder A. The admission of the compressed air to the cylinder A and the exhaust of air from said cylinder is controlled by two valves 12 and 13 that cooperate with the valve seats 10 and 11, respectively, of the air supply port and the air dischargeport previously referred to. Both of said valves are carried by an oscillating valve carrying member (i that is pivotally connected at to the back plate 7 of the chamber TI, and means is pro-, vided for moving said valve carrying member G so as to simultaneously open the air supply port and close the exhaust port, and thereafter simultaneously open the exhaust port and close the air supply port. Said valve operating mechanism is of novel construction and comprises a buoyant actuating member arranged in the cylinder A, saidmech'anism being so designed that the upward movement of the member ll causes a spring to be first placed under rompression and then allowed to expand so as to impart a quick, sudden blow to the valve carrying member thus causing the exhaust valve 13 to be closed and the air inlet valve 12 to be opened positively, or, in other words, in such a manner that there is no liability of said valves sticking or failing to operate properly. When the actuating member H moves downwardly the spring previously referred to is first placed under compression and then allowed to expand so as to impart a quick, sudden stroke in the opposite direction to the valve carrying member G, thereby positively closing the air admission valve 12 and opening the air exl'iaustvalve 18. While various forms of mechanism can be used for accomplishing the result just referred to, I prefer to connect the'buoyant actuating member H with the valve carrying member G by a mechanism composed of two levers I pivotally mounted on the back plate 7, a pair of toggle links J pivotally connected to the lower end of said levers I- and to a vertically reciprocating bar K to which the actuating member H is positively connected, an expansion spring L arranged between the upper ends of the levers I and a laterallyprojecting arm 15 on one of said levers that projects into a bifurcated arm 15 on the other lever, as shown in Fig. 2.v The re-- ciprocating bar K is joined to the valve carrying member G by a slot and pin connection, preferably an elongated slot 16 in said bar that receives a pin 17 on the 'valve carrying member G: The buoyant actuating member H is positively connected to the reciprocating bar K by means of a screw threaded extension 18 on the upper end of the member H that screws into the lower end of the bar K, and said actuating member ll is guided and held in concentric relation with the cylinder A by means of a rod projection 1.8 at the lower end of said member H which slides freely in a bore or socket in the stem 3 of the water inlet valve 3, as shown clearly in Fig. 5. ably provided for holding the valve carrying member G in the two positions into which it is moved by the actuating mechanism just described, and while various means may be used for this purpose without departing from the spirit of my invention, I prefer to employ abell crank shaped latch M that is acted upon by a spring 19 which exerts pressure on said latch in such a. ner that the hook 20 on the free end of latch bears upon a roller on the valve carrying member G, and thus prevents said valve carrying member from moving until it receives a sharp blow from the reciprocating bar K. p i

When the'cylinder A is submerged in the body of liquid to be pumped the inlet valve B opens, and thus permits the liquid to how freely into the cylinder A, it being unc e"- stood that the air inlet valve 12 is then clo ed and the air exhaust valve 13 open, as shown in F ig, 2. As the level of the liquid r s in the cylinder A the buoyant actuating member H movesupwardly, thus causing energy to be stored up in the spring L. due to the movement that is imparted to the levers I by the toggle links J to which the reciprocating bar K is connected. Just after the toggle links J pass their dead center position the spring L" expands and imparts a quick or sudden upward stroke to the reciprocating bar K, thus causing the lower end of the slot 16 in said bar to strike against the pin 17 on the valve carrying member G and move said member G upwardly positively into a position to clcse'the air exhaust valve 13 and open the air admission valve 12. As soon the valve 12 opens air rushes into the chamber E, and thence into the cylinder A through the opening 2 in the upper end of said cylinder, and thus causes the valve B to close and the water which previously entered said cylinder to be expelled or forced out of the cylinder through the discharge pipe C. When the actuating member H moves downwardly, due, of course, to the escape of the liquid from the cylinder A, energy is stored up in the spring 11 during a portion of the move- Means is preferment of the member H and then after the toggle links J pass their dead center position, said spring expands and causes the toggle links to thrust the reciprocating bar 'K downwardly, thereby causing the upper end of the slot 16 in said bar to strike against the pin 17 on the valve carrying member and move said member downwardly so as to close the air inlet valve and open the air exhaust valve.

A pump of the construction above described is of such simple design that it can be manufactured at'a low cost and it is not apt to get out of order when it is in use, on account of the fact that the valve actuating mechanism comprises a spring which insures the valve carrying member moving quickly or with a sudden jump from one position to anotherto open and close the valves carried by or controlled by said member. Another desirable characteristic of m improved pump is that the weight of the uoyant actuating member exerts downward pressure on the valve carrying member G at the time when the air exhaust valve is open, thusinsuring the air inlet valve remaining tightly seated. Furthermore, such a pump i not liable to be rendered inoperative by water coming in contact with the valve operating mechanism, as the valve carrying member and most of the elements of the valve operating mechanism that cooperate directly with said valve carrying member are arranged in a chamber to which compressed air is supplied so as to force the water out of the cylinder of the pump, the pressure in said chamber being sutficient to prevent the water from passing from the cylinder of the pump up into said chamber through the opening 2 in the head of the cylinder.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: I

1. A pump, comprising a cylinder that is adapted to be submerged in a body of liquid, a valve that opens when said cylinder is submerged and thus permits liquid to enter said cylinder, anair inlet valve for admitting air to said cylinder so as to close the liquid valve and force the liquid out of said cylinder, an air exhaust valve for permitting the air to escape from said cylinder, an operating mechanism for saidiair valves comprising an oscillating member that carries said valves, a buoyant actuating member in the cylinder, and a connection between said actuating member and said oscillating valve operating member comprising a spring arranged so that the energy of same is exerted on said valve operating member to move it so as to close one air valve and open the other air valve.

2, A pump of the character described, comprising an elongated cylinder that is adapted to receive the liquid to be pumped, a tubular shaped buoyant actuating member in said cylinder, means for centering said member with respect to the cylinder, valves for governin the admission and eX- liaust of said operating medium under pressure to said cylinder so as to force out the liquid in said cylinder, an oscillating operating member for said, valves to which said valves are connected, a spring, means whereby the movement of the buoyant member stores up energy in said spring, and means for causing said spring to act and impart a quick, sudden stroke to said valve operating member during the latter portion of the movement of said buoyant actuating member.

3. A pump of the character described,

comprising a cylinder that is adapted to receive the liquid to be pumped, a buoyant actuating member in said cylinder, valves for governing the admission and exhaust of a medium under pressure so as to force the liquid out of said cylinder, an operating member for said valves, means that normally holds said valve operating member in such a position that one of the valves is closed and the other is open, and a direct connection between the operating member and said buoyant actuating member comprising a spring which is placed under compression during a portion of the movement of said actuating member and thereafter allowed to expand so as to, impart a quick, sudden stroke to said valve operating member.

41. pump of the character described, comprising a cylinder that is adapted to re,- ceive the liquid being pumped, a buoyant actuating member in said cylinder, valves, for governing the admission and exhaust of an operating medium under pressure to and from said cylinder, an operating member for said valves, a part connected to said actuating member that is joined to said valve operating member by a slot and pin connection, and means for imparting a quick, sudden stroke to said part when said actuating member nears the end of its stroke in each direction.

5. A pump of the character described, comprising a cylinder that is adapted to receive the liquid to be pumped, a buoyant actuating member in said cylinder, valves for governing the admission and exhaust of an operating medium under pressure to and from said cylinder, an operating member for said valves, a spring-pressed latch that normally holds said valve operating member in such a position that one of said valves is open and the other is closed, and a direct connection between said valve operating member and said buoyant actuating member comprising a spring and toggle mechanism arranged so that the valve operating member will receive a quick, sudden stroke just before the buoyant actuating member reaches the end of its stroke in either direction.

6. A pump of the character described, comprising a cylinder for receiving the liquid to be pumped, a buoyant actuating member in said cylinder, valves for govern-- ing the admission and exhaust of an operat ing medium under pressure to and from said cylinder, an operating member for said valves, a reciprocating bar connected to said actuating member and joined to said valve operating member by a slot and pin con-- nection, a pair of levels, a spring interposed between one end of said levers, and toggle links pivotally connected to the opposite ends of said levers and to said reciprocating bar.

7. A pump of the character described, comprising a cylinder for receiving the liquid to be pumped, a buoyant actuating member in said cylinder, valves for governing the admission and exhaust of an operating medium under pressure to and from said cylinder, an operating member for said valves, a reciprocating bar connected to said actuating member and joined to said valve operating member by a slot and pin connection, a pair of levers, a spring interposed between one end of said levers, toggle links pivotally connected to the opposite ends of said levers and to said reciprocating bar, means for causing said levers to move in unison, and a spring-pressed latch that normally h'olds said valve operating member in one of two positions.

8. A pump of the character described, comprising a cylinder that is adapted to receive the liquid to be pumped, a chamber that is in direct communication with said cylinder, a buoyant actuating member in said cylinder, valves in said chamber for governing the admission and exhaust of an operating medium under pressure to and from said chamber, an operating member for said valves arranged in said chamber, a reciprocating bar connected to said actuating member and joined by a slot and pin connection with said valve operating member, and a pair of spring-pressed levers in said chamber connected by toggle links to said reciprocating bar.

9. A pump of the character described, comprising a cylinder that is adapted to be submerged in a body of liquid, an inlet valve that governs an admission port in the bottom of said cylinder, said valve being provided with a stem that has a bore or socket in same, a chamber on the top of said cylinder that communicates with the interior of said cylinder, valves in said chamber for governing the admission and exhaust of a -medium under pressure to and from said said cylinder.

10. A pump of the character described, comprising a cylinder that is adapted to receive the liquid to be pumped a buoyant actiiating member in said cylinder, a chamber mounted on the top or said cylinder comprising a plurality 01" parts detachably connected together, valves in said chamber for governing the admission and exhaust to and from said chamber of an operating me dium under pressure, an operating member for said valves pivotally connected to one of the parts of said chamber, and means for directly connecting said actuating memher with said valve operating member.

11. A pump of the character described, comprisinga cylinder that is adapted to be submerged in a body of liquid, an inlet valve that governs an admission port in said cylinder through which liquid enters said cylinder, a discharge pipe through which the liquid is forced out of said cylinder, a chamber at theupper end of said cylinder that is in direct communication with the interior of the cylinder, a buoyant actuating member in said cylinder, a port for admittinga medium under pressure to said chamber, an exhaust port leading from said chamber, an oscillating member provided with valves for controlling said ports, means that normally holds said valve carrying member in one of two positions, a reciprocating bar connected to said actuating member and joined by a slot and pin connection with said valve carrying member, spring-pressed levers in said chamber connected by toggle links with said reciprocating bar in such a manner that said bar will impart a sudden stroke to said valve carrying member when the actuating member nears the end of its stroke in either direction.

THEODORE PETERS. 

